There is a juxtaposition between Gandalf’s statements about measuring himself against the Witch-king, and his compliment on Frodo’s strength to be able to survive such an encounter.
Magic in The Lord of the Rings seems to primarily be an act of externalizing one’s internal power, such as with Sauron and the One Ring and his passing of new power into the Witch-king.
Gandalf’s primary job is as a steward, so a lot of his displays of magic are in investing strength into others, such as Théoden, and in the inspiration of great deeds.
Morgoth and Sauron both attempt to dominate the world by investing their power in others, but this weakens them in the process and makes them vulnerable.
Gandalf’s use of his power tires him, such as when he opposes the Balrog in Moria, and he talks about being spent. Lúthien also is spend after her enchantment of Morgoth and his servants.
Gandalf claims that he will need to put forth his power in opposition to Sauron when the time comes, and that this his time is coming.
His return as Gandalf the White seems to indicate that this moment has arrived.
There may be some similarities between the unifying of the hobbits of Buckland against the Black Riders and the rousing of Théoden and the Rohirrim against Saruman.
There is a distinction of this unifying of purpose, and the mutual strengthening of the wills of all involved, and the use of power to dominate others, like the Dark Lords.
Gandalf has already faced down all nine of the Black Riders on Weathertop, but he seems not to consider this a full measure of himself against the Witch-king.
Now that Saruman has vacated the position of White, Gandalf may feel the need to fill that role.
Gandalf may mean Sauron himself when he considers his final opponent, though it is the Witch-king, as Sauron’s servant and bearing his power, who will show up in person.
Note: In the early drafts, the Witch-king was known as the “Wizard-king” and was explicitly one of Gandalf’s order who had gone bad and was presented as Gandalf’s opposite number.
When Gandalf names the Black as greater than the White, he seems to mean Sauron.
Gandalf talks about the wraith-world:
Gandalf’s use of the close shave metaphor seems to point to the narrowness of Frodo’s escape, being hemmed in on one side and the other with dangers with little space to maneuver.
The dangers on one side might be the physical danger, and the spiritual danger on the other.
That his “heart was not touched” works on multiple levels, from the physical to the spiritual.
Though “a close shave” is a common expression, but also metaphor, which Gandalf emphasizes.
Gandalf’s mention of “fortune or fate” tend to point to the work of outside powers, as before.
The use of the two different words point to two possible interpretations of the same phenomenon, not that it has to be one or the other.
Note: Fortune is a Roman concept, while Fate is a Nordic concept, but are two sides of a coin. Fortune is more than just luck, but is a goddess who plays favorites, while Fate is more about predestination of outside powers, though Boethius claims that they are the same thing.
Gandalf is also quick to point out that Frodo’s courage and choices still matter in light of luck.
Note: This is another example of the juxtaposition of fate and free will in Tolkien’s writings.
Gandalf talks metaphysics:
Gandalf seems to be pointing to the greatest danger being at Weathertop, as that was the only time that Frodo was wearing the Ring in the presence of the Ringwraiths.
He implies that Frodo needed to be in the wraith-world, at least partly, for them to seize him.
This isn’t to say that the Ringwraiths couldn’t interact Frodo at any other time, but not directly.
That Frodo and the Ringwraiths could now see each other eliminates the need for sniffing.
Could they see the Gaffer and Farmer Maggot in order to interact with them? In both cases, the hobbits speak first, so they could sense them in that way before speaking.
The Ring might make it much easier for them to seize Frodo, but not only then. His presence in the wraith-world seems to make him more vulnerable to them and their power.
What does it mean that Frodo is half in the wraith-world while wearing the Ring? His body is invisible but still physical and subject to the physical world’s interactions.
Frodo’s reference to the dogs and geese is calling back to Butterbur’s story in Bree.
He has assumed that the horses were as spectral as their riders, as he sees the whole idea of the Black Riders as one whole thing.
Are the Black Riders in the same state as Frodo when he wears the Ring? They are invisible, but are still interacting with the physical world, just like Bilbo and Frodo have experienced.
Why are the Riders’ interactions with their robes different from Bilbo and Frodo’s? Because they are left in the state they were when they became invisible permanently, and the robes are later.
This has to do with will and identity, as they retain their kingly clothes as part of themselves.
We don’t really know what the powers of the Nine Rings were, or if they made their owners invisible at the time, or if this was something that happened over time.
The nothingness referred to is about their visibility, not physical, as they are not incorporeal.
As fear is their primary weapon, their visible presence helps instill that fear.
Frodo emphasizes that Asfaloth was afraid of the Black Riders at the Ford, like other animals.
Why does Gandalf list off the many kinds of servants of Sauron? This may be part of Frodo’s training for his future adventures, though he only has a sense of those right now.
Gandalf had been very vague about the servants before in Bag End, only that they were many.
The distinction of the other servants being alive and under the Sun seems to be in contrast to the Ringwraiths, which implies that they are mostly dead in some ways.
Gandalf may have been gentle with Frodo in hedging about his adventures beyond Rivendell.
There also seems to be a distinction between those Sauron as dominated completely, like the Ringwraiths, and those who have chosen freely to serve him, such as Men under his sway.
This seems to point to recruitment among men, not just multiplication, like other servants.
Note: Of the servants mentioned, only werewolves are not explicitly seen later, though it may be implicit. Sauron is known as the Lord of Werewolves, and this might be what Gandalf means when he calls one of the wolves “hound of Sauron” later.” Vampires are not mentioned, and Tolkien would have referred to a vampire bat, and we saw those in The Battle of Five Armies.
There is a distinction made between servants and chattels, and the animals seem to be more chattels than servants. It’s possible that some of all kinds were in both categories.
The real difference is between those who serve by choice and those who are enslaved.
Note: Tolkien does not shy away from the language of slavery, so as to emphasize Sauron’s evil.
On Rivendell’s safety:
Is Frodo asking if he is safe in Rivendell from external threats, or if the place itself is safe?
In context, it seems as though Frodo is wondering if the people of Rivendell can be trusted not to be servants of Sauron, like his servants among Men.
It is this question that Gandalf is answering, reassuring Frodo that the Elves won’t serve Sauron.
He acknowledges that Rivendell could be conquered, but that it won’t be seduced by Sauron.
Note: This may be a reference to the fall of Gondolin, where only one elf chose to serve Morgoth, and that led to the downfall of everyone there.
The idea of Elves listening to Sauron is a reference to Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion. Some of them did serve Sauron, though if they didn’t know who he was at the time.
Sauron taught them the art of ring making and built in traps to capture those rings even without their intention. There may also have been some power of the Elf-lords placed in their Rings.
There may also be a distant memory of Morgoth’s deception of the Noldor, and so using them.
Having given Frodo the bad news about Sauron’s servants, he reassures Frodo that not only will none of the Elves of Rivendell serve Sauron but are great and powerful and can oppose him.
The reference to those from the Blessed Realm can only mean the Calaquendi, like the Noldor.
Gandalf seems to say that the Noldor live in two worlds naturally, while Frodo’s is unnatural.
After the fall of Númenor, the Blessed Realm is now a separate world from our world.
What are the two worlds that the Calaquendi dwell in? From context, Gandalf seems to mean that the two worlds in question are our world and Valinor.
There is a parallel between that dichotomy and the one between the visible and wraith worlds.
The wraith world may be a manifestation of an evil parallel world, as Valinor was in pure form.
Note: The Elves who were brought to Valinor were changed by living there. There, they were part of both the seen and the unseen world, as the Blessed Realm was part of both. This gives them the ability to perceive and have power over the unseen world within our world.
The making of the Nazgûl may be like a mockery of the Valar’s changing of the Calaquendi. The status of Glorfindel is what that should have looked like, but the Nazgûl are a corrupted version.
The creation of servants who live in both worlds is not necessary to serve Sauron, like Men, but this seems to have been a separate desire of Sauron apart from simple dominion.
Note: All of the Ringbearers have had a sample, even if twisted, of the other world, and it is because of this that they are allowed to come to the Blessed Realm to see the real thing. This seems to be part of the healing offered to Frodo in the West.
The transition to the wraith world turns on his description of Glorfindel, and this emphasizes Frodo’s fading into the grey of the wraith world as a contrast to the Elves’ experience.
Frodo’s experience as a mortal in the wraith world is unnatural, and they have been banned from the Blessed Realm, therefore there is a wrongness in his presence there.
Note: Even Eärendil’s presence in Valinor was considered unnatural and a problem for the Valar.
